by Melody Anne
“Back up a bit, bud. The lady’s obviously uncomfortable,” Hudson said, his voice calm but firm, letting the man know he wasn’t kidding.
“Shut the hell up,” Jeff said before glaring at Darla. “Explain yourself.” His voice was rising, drawing a crowd of people to stop and stare, a couple of them taking out their camera phones. Great. Just great.
“We had one date, Jeff. One date,” she snapped. “It went really bad. I told you I didn’t want a second one. I was polite at first and told you to stop calling, then I blocked you. That should be enough of a hint that I want nothing to do with you.” Her voice rose as she continued speaking.
“I’m not letting some little bitch dismiss me,” he said. He went to grab her arm, and Hudson was left with no choice. He grabbed the man and jerked him backward.
“It’s time to leave . . . now,” Hudson said. There was no hiding the power of his voice.
Jeff turned, making the wrong choice by attempting to swing at Hudson. The fight was over before it had a chance to begin. Hudson blocked the swing, then knocked the man to the ground with one blow. Jeff lay on the ground, groaning, as the crowd gasped.
“Why don’t you ladies go ahead without me? I’ll wait for the cops,” Hudson said, his voice calm. “I’m sorry this guy was such a jackass, Darla.”
Her eyes were wide as she looked from Hudson to Jeff, whose nose was now bleeding as he whimpered. He wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
“Thank you, Hudson,” Darla said as she rushed forward and threw her arms around him, giving him a big hug. “This man was really scaring me. We went on a date a couple of weeks ago, and he was a dick to the waitstaff, the cab driver, and another customer who happened to bump into him. Then he made several crude comments to me about how our night was going to end. I snuck away with the excuse of using the restroom. Then I took his call and calmly tried telling him it wasn’t going to work out. For the next two days he sent me horrible text messages. I didn’t block him at first because I wanted to see if he’d stop. But he only got worse, actually calling me twenty-five times in a row on the third day. I finally blocked him. I don’t know what he’s capable of.” A shudder ran through her as she backed away.
“Did you keep all of that on your phone?” Hudson asked.
“I haven’t deleted it yet,” she said. “I haven’t had time.”
“Good. The cops will be here soon. Why don’t you sit down away from this guy and then show it to the officers when they arrive. I want to make sure he spends a few days in jail. Then we’re going to get a restraining order.”
“I didn’t think I’d see him again. I figured when I blocked him that would be the end of it,” Darla said. “It was a one-hour date. That’s all.” She looked confused and justifiably freaked out.
“Some people go off the rail with little to nothing setting them off. This isn’t your fault. He obviously has problems,” Hudson said.
“Obviously,” Darla said with another shudder.
Hudson turned and looked at Daisy, who was pale. “Are you okay, Daisy?” he asked.
“Yes, of course,” she said. “But I had no idea.” There was so much guilt in her voice. He didn’t understand why.
“Don’t you dare think you could’ve done anything about this. I didn’t think it was a big deal so I didn’t tell you about it,” Darla said as she grabbed Daisy’s hand.
“You told me you had a bad date. I should’ve followed up with you. I would’ve insisted on a restraining order and had the police call him and tell him to stop,” Daisy said.
“That’s why I didn’t tell you. I thought I could handle it. I’m lucky Hudson was here when he found us today. I’d feel horrible if he would’ve attacked you,” Darla said.
“I’d take a hit for you in a heartbeat,” Daisy said.
“I know that. As I would for you. But he’s on the ground, and I hear the sirens so hopefully he’s off to jail to cool down. Let’s move forward and thank Hudson for his help,” Darla said. Daisy gave her a weak smile then turned to Hudson.
“Thank you for the help. We truly were lucky to have you here,” she said. But of course she had to add more. “Though, we might not have been here if you hadn’t barged in. Just saying.”
Hudson couldn’t help it. He let go. His laughter rang out across the market. Daisy looked confused, and Darla chuckled. It took several seconds for his laughter to die down.
“You’re a true delight, Daisy, a true delight,” he said. “I’ll accept your gratitude and ignore the rest of your statement.”
“Yes, she is,” Darla said. “And I should’ve been more aware of the situation. However, I’m a social worker, so I tend to think everyone’s fixable,” she added.
“What a great career,” Hudson said, seeming interested. But before he could ask more, the cops showed.
It didn’t take long for them to get the entire story from them and the many witnesses. Jeff was hauled away, but not without a lot of ranting and raving and demands for Hudson’s head on a platter.
By the time it was over, Daisy and Darla had to be on their way.
It wasn’t the way Hudson would normally spend a Saturday afternoon, but he wasn’t complaining. He’d had a great conversation, taken down a bad guy, and was even more intrigued by Daisy than he’d been a few days before.
He couldn’t wait to see what happened next.
One thing he could say for sure was that from the moment he’d met this woman his head had been spinning and his hormones had been out of control. Whatever came next was sure to be good.
And whatever happened was going to upend his world. And the most shocking part of it all was that he was looking forward to just that. This woman had come out of nowhere — and he was damn glad she was in his life.
Chapter Fifteen
Daisy paced the land she’d grown up on, probably getting in ten miles since she’d been up at the crack of dawn. She tried talking herself out of being there, and then she’d come right back to the conclusion that she was right where she needed to be.
Hudson Anderson!
When she’d walked out of his hotel room the month before, she’d stood in front of the elevator wondering if she was doing the right thing. The night she’d shared with him had been the most spectacular of her life. People said that kind of statement all of the time, thinking no day could ever get better. But in her case, it was literally true. She hadn’t ever had a night like the one she’d had with him. It hadn’t been easy to walk away. He’d awoken things in her she hadn’t imagined possible. She’d hoped to have forgotten him by now.
She hadn’t.
Finding him on her family property had been a blow to her ego, to her faith in the world, to her hormones, and most certainly to her sanity. She’d been thinking of him way too often before he’d reemerged into her life, but now that he was back, the man was on her mind nonstop.
Hudson Anderson was a thief. That was all she needed to know about him. She couldn’t fall for his sympathetic act. She knew who he really was — an egotistical jerk who took what he wanted and didn’t look back.
But you’re the one who left.
She stopped that voice in her head. That might be, but he hadn’t attempted to find her. He’d had a great night and was most likely relieved she’d been gone when he woke. He was a man with endless connections. If he’d wanted to find her, he certainly could’ve accomplished it.
It didn’t matter anyway. What was done was done. They had to move forward and come to a compromise. She could do it if he could. She could remain professional if he could. They were both adults after all.
She had to remind herself that she needed to dislike him — that she should hope he would fall into the river that ran along the backside of the property, and then not be found until he made it to the ocean and was a hundred miles out to sea.
But he wasn’t a bad guy.
After he’d saved her best friend two days earlier, she’d had to spend the rest of Saturday hearing abo
ut how wonderful he was, how great it was that he was there, and then she’d had to listen to the warning that if she didn’t have fun once in a while she was going to regret it.
Daisy didn’t have time for men. Her lifelong goal had gone up in flames and she was trying to figure out her new path in life. She’d begun outlining a book, but every time she was interrupted, she’d lose track of where she was going and have to start all over again. It was frustrating.
She couldn’t allow a man to make her even more unfocused. She was going to do a great story that centered on the school she’d gone to, adding a lot of fiction, of course, but also shedding light on the history of the building and so many more like it. She’d be able to reach many more than she could by tying herself to a door to only be dragged away and then having that building torn down anyway.
She’d always worked so hard that sometimes she’d forget to eat. She loved feeling that way, loved being so obsessed with her missions that she didn’t want to stop. Passion led to great work. Good passion, not the passion that invaded your body and made you utterly mindless.
Ugh! She paced some more.
It was a cool morning and she told herself she was doing it to keep warm, not because she was frustrated. She’d lie to herself all day long, though, if it made her feel better.
Her gramps — the man who’d raised her with love, understanding, and ethics — had told her he’d sold the property because she had enough to worry about without having to deal with the land. She’d told him she didn’t want it sold. He’d said that was why he’d done it behind her back, that he’d done it out of love.
He’d put one hundred percent of the proceeds into an account for her. There was no way she was touching that money. Not a chance. In her mind, it was tainted. It had come from a big corporate guy who was going to ruin the land. She’d had visions of turning that property into a public park, maybe even having a center built for at-risk youth. There were so many things that could be done with the land that had been in her family for such a long time.
But now it was gone.
She’d spoken to an attorney so she was very aware she didn’t have any legal ground to stand on. Her grandfather had owned the land. He’d chosen to sell it legally. He was of sound mind. So her only option was to appeal to Hudson’s conscience and get him to sell the land back to her. She didn’t want the money. She wanted the land.
She didn’t see Hudson’s monstrous gas-guzzling truck pull up to his construction trailer until nearly nine that morning. It figured he wouldn’t show up to work until midday for most people. She waited for him to exit his truck, her arms crossed, her foot tapping the gravel.
He didn’t say a word as he climbed from the dusty rig and moved toward her. But the smile on his face was enough to make her stomach clench. She pushed that feeling right back down where it belonged. She wasn’t going all fluttery again in this man’s presence. How in the world did he manage to get that reaction from her in the first place? She couldn’t remember responding to any man like that — not once in her life. It was unnerving. He should be nothing more than a distant memory by now. If she thought about it, she could convince herself the sex hadn’t been all that good.
And if she wanted to keep lying to herself, that was just fine.
“It must be nice being the boss and coming to work at any hour you please,” Daisy said with a mocking smile.
“Yes, it is, actually,” he said as if she’d been complimenting him. “I love making my own hours. I think more people should own their own business.”
He didn’t seem at all put out that she was standing at his trailer, waiting for him. He moved to the door and unlocked it, stepping inside. He went to the incredibly nice coffee pot and flipped a few switches before adding a premium roast and starting it. The trailer immediately filled with a mouth-watering aroma. She’d been waiting for him for three hours and she could really use a cup — not that she wanted to ask him for anything.
“Speaking of on time, it’s Monday. Don’t you have a job to be at?” he asked. He didn’t look at her as he unloaded the bag he’d brought inside with him.
When he pulled the caramel macchiato creamer and chocolate curls from the bag, her mouth-watering went into overdrive. Had he known she’d be there? That was the exact same coffee she’d ordered from the booth on Saturday. He’d had an iced mocha. Maybe he liked trying different drinks and it had nothing at all to do with her.
“Nothing has changed since that plane ride. I’m still not sure what comes next. Not that I need to explain myself to you,” she added, mumbling beneath her breath. Why was she explaining anything to him? Damn it. Why did he get her to say things she didn’t want to say, and why was she so fascinated by him?
He turned and grinned. “How’s the book coming along?”
She opened her mouth to tell him about it, then shut it again. They weren’t friends. She didn’t need to be telling him anything. She’d said too much already — though in her defense, she’d talked to him about it, thinking she’d never see him again. She decided to get back to the subject at hand.
“I want to buy the property from you. My misguided grandfather thinks I worked too much and play too little. He wants me to have fun in life. That’s not who I am. I have plans for this property. He put all of the funds from the sale into an account for me. I’d like to buy it back at the same price you paid.”
She was a bit concerned about the closing costs as she truly didn’t have much savings, but she’d make it work. She just wouldn’t be able to make any donations or travel for the rest of the year, and she certainly couldn’t buy five-dollar coffees for a while. She could live with that if she had the land to donate to the community.
He eyed her for a minute as the coffee finished. Then he filled two disposable cups, adding creamer and chocolate pieces. He reached into the miniature fridge and took out a can of whipped cream and topped them off.
He handed one over, and she wanted it too badly to refuse. At least she hadn’t needed to ask him for it. She had tremendous willpower, just not around this particular man, and certainly not when it came to a great cup of coffee.
“The land isn’t for sale,” he told her as he moved over to his desk and half sat on the edge while he brought his cup up and took a long swallow. “Delicious.”
“Look, I’m sure there’s a lot of land you can buy; you’re rich, so there are tons of options available to you. But this land has been in my family for three generations. I want to keep it that way.” She kept her voice calm as if she was arguing a case in a courtroom.
“Land like this doesn’t come available as often as you think,” he told her. Then he studied her for a moment as he seemed to be analyzing her. It made her uncomfortable, but she’d promised herself she’d be calm and reasonable and try to appeal to his good side. He seemed to have one, which gave her hope that she could convince him. She was sure it couldn’t happen in a day, but if she could talk him into selling before he invested money into the land, she had a shot.
“What do you want the land for?” he asked.
That was progress. It wasn’t an outright no. “I want a community center with a park and, though it will take time and donations, I want many other things brought into it. Picture a miniature Central Park,” she said. “This could be a beautiful, safe haven for low-income families in this middle of a city that caters to the ultra-wealthy.”
“Central Park is a for-profit place,” he responded.
“Well, my park will be just as great, but it will be a nonprofit place,” she told him.
“And what are your plans for making all of this happen?”
That question stopped her. “I haven’t thought that far ahead. I thought it would be a long way down the road. But I can come up with a plan within a couple of weeks if you’ll be patient with me. It’s something I’ve thought about for a very long time,” she told him. She began pacing the small trailer, too amped up to stand still or sit.
“You haven’t as
ked me what my plans are for the property,” he said. “Maybe you’d like the vision I have.”
She gave him a suspicious look, fought back her sarcastic retort, and took another drink of her delicious coffee. It was seriously better than the five-dollar cups she purchased way too many of — or had purchased too many of. That was stopping right now.
“What are your plans?” she begrudgingly asked.
“I’m so glad you asked,” he said with a smile. He moved to a slanted board set up in the back of the trailer, a detailed map laid out on it. They stood side by side as she studied the beautiful drawings.
“Is this what you had on the table last week?” she asked.
“Yep. I wanted to envision the land completed so I took it outside. My brother, who’s an architect, and I have worked on this project for years. I was waiting for the perfect piece of property. I’ve worked myself up to this, and it’s not something I’m willing to sacrifice.”
“It’s beautiful,” she admitted. “But you can put this anywhere.”
“Yes and no. The land matters. I want the clubhouse in the center of the property with the golf course surrounding it. I want the complexes to be overlooking the water, and I want a park area over in this corner. I want a small community where people feel safe, and feel like they live in the country rather than the city. The added bonus is the land to the right of here isn’t being used. My hope is to expand this to make the community larger within the next two years.”
“Don’t you see what a waste of land this is?” she asked, throwing her hands in the air. “Yes, it’s beautiful. The design of these buildings are phenomenal, but it’s for the upper class who already have enough. The wealthy can buy and build whenever they want. But those of us who work for barely above minimum wage, but love our lives as they are, need beautiful places to go to as well. If the wealthy consume it all, there’s nothing left for the rest of us.”
“How do you know it’s geared toward the wealthy?”
